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Tuesday, 22 July 2014

ARC Review: Lark Ascending (Skylark #3) by Meagan Spooner

Goodreads Synopsis:

Lark thought returning home to face her
city was the hardest thing she'd ever do. She was wrong.

No longer the girl
who ran for her life, Lark's ready for the Institute. She never dreamed she'd
find a rebellion, a Renewable, and those she used to love embroiled in the
fight of their lives. She's mastered her magic, but she still doesn't know if
she can master the darkness stirring inside her.

Nothing is simple
anymore, and finding her place in this war—and discovering the terrible secrets
behind her ruined world—might cost her everything she has left.

Review:

***I received the ARC
eBook free as a review copy from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange
for an honest review***

As the third and final instalment of such a well-received series,
there’s got to be a lot of pressure to finish it in a way that readers are
satisfied with but still fits the characters and the story; so I can do nothing
but applaud Meagan Spooner. It has the perfect ending, I can’t stress that
enough and I was unbelievably relieved after so many disappointing final books
in trilogies. If anyone could do it, it would be Meagan, and my God she did!

The action as well as tension that were forever constant in
the previous books continues and with even more twists Lark Ascending is a one
sit read for sure. I stayed up until 1:00 in the morning to finish with no
regrets.

It wasn’t just the storyline that made the book so engaging
but the characters that have developed so much, particularly Lark. She is such
a brave female heroin, even with the darkness inside her; but if anything I
think this proves her strength. She’s constantly battling her own darkness,
while protecting Oren from his, not to mention fighting and part-time leading
the war. As if that’s not enough for one girl to handle, her allies might not
be true to her and her enemies might have different motives. I’m surprised she
has enough energy to get out of bed in the morning.

Oren of course helped. He was always by Lark’s side, ever
faithful, and even when he no longer needed to feed off her magic he was there;
a constant source of strength and reminder of what she was fighting for. It was
great seeing how their relationship developed when it was tried and tested time
and time again. The way they learnt to trust and depend on one another is
something all relationships need, particularly in the YA genre where infatuation
turns to insta-love in the blink of an eye. There was always the option of a
love triangle with Kris but Lark never had eyes for anyone but Oren and this
stayed true to her character so nothing was forced.

In this book you meet new characters and welcome back old
ones, in a thrilling climax that ties everything together beautifully. A
must-read for fans of the series, and I’d easily recommend all 3 books to any
YA reader; whether you like dystopian, fantasy, steampunk, this book/series has
it plus more.

Favourite Quotes:

“My home is you,” Oren
whispered, his arms tightening around me while I cried. “You think you’re alone
– you think that’s your punishment for all of this, for being the one to save
mankind from itself. You think I don’t see that, but I know you, Lark Ainsley.
I know you.”

“There never was any hope,”
Caesar muttered.

“There was, before you destroyed it.”

“He grimaced back, and
for a moment it was a little easier to pretend we both believed there’s be an “eventually”
to look forward to.”

Disclaimer

I can guarantee that all of my reviews are honest, which includes the reviews I have written based on review copies I have received which are clearly specified. The fact that they are review copies has no impact on my thoughts and opinions stated in the review. I do not receive any form of monetary compensation for my reviews from authors/publishers.